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Building and sustaining effective school leadership through principal mentoring in an urban school context

BUILDING AND SUSTAINING EFFECTIVE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP THROUGH PRINCIPAL MENTORING IN AN URBAN SCHOOL CONTEXT
by
Helena J. Yoon
__________________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
August 2009
Copyright 2009 Helena J. Yoon

This study examined the impact of participation in EdisonLearning’s Mentor/Protégé program on an urban school principal’s leadership practice. This mixed-methods case study investigated the following three questions:; 1. How does working with an EdisonLearning mentor affect the leadership practices of an urban school principal? 2. What organizational structures support the implementation of a mentor model? 3. In what ways do the leadership practices of the principal affect the pro¬fessional practice of teachers?; Quantitative data were collected pre- and post-intervention, which was the online administration of the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) survey, an instrument that provided a summary of the principal’s and the teachers’ perceptions of leader effectiveness on learning-focused leadership behaviors that have been found to correlate with student achievement. In addition, qualitative data were collected via interviews with the principal, teachers, the Executive Director of EdisonLearning, and a questionnaire completed by EdisonLearning mentors. Document analysis and a field observation of the principal were conducted to collect data on the principal’s leadership practices.; Key findings were that the mentor provided the novice principal with guidance and support, assistance with problem solving, and development of tech¬nical knowledge and skills. Four structures were determined to support effective implementation of the mentoring model: (a) mentor training, (b) planning tools, (c) time, and (d) relationship. Findings indicated that the principal created specific school climate/learning conditions for teachers, such as support for professional growth, time for collaboration, and a book study. There was evidence that these conditions had a positive influence on the teachers’ practice: however, the extent to which these practices were impacted could not be determined.

BUILDING AND SUSTAINING EFFECTIVE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP THROUGH PRINCIPAL MENTORING IN AN URBAN SCHOOL CONTEXT
by
Helena J. Yoon
__________________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
August 2009
Copyright 2009 Helena J. Yoon